Festival season is upon us and NationalRail.com is here to prove you don’t have to travel all the way to Coachella to get your summer music festival fix!
We’ve investigated some of the top festivals across the country and they can all be easily reached by train – even better.
Download Festival – Leicestershire
10-12 June 2016
Download Festival is the most popular British rock and heavy metal summer festival and has been held in Donington Park, Leicestershire since its launch in 2003. This year’s two-day event is hosting some of the biggest names in the rock and metal music world such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and All Time Low.
The closest station to the festival site is Derby train station which is only a short half an hour drive away. Regular shuttle buses from the station run every 20 minutes, getting you to the festival as quickly as possible once you arrive in Derby!
Parklife Weekender – Manchester
11-12 June 2016
If camping isn’t really your thing, the Parklife Weekender might be. The two-day festival has been held annually since 2010 and has since grown to a capacity exceeding 70,000 people. As a result, the festival has moved from Platt Fields Park, Rusholme to Heaton Park, Prestwich to accommodate for the huge crowds. It is jointly organised by a number of groups including The Warehouse Project.
The 2016 Parklife Weekender is packed with big names in the music industry. Don’t miss out on seeing Ice Cube, Jess Glynne, Years & Years, and this year’s winner of the Critics’ Choice category at the Brit Awards, Jack Garratt.
The easiest way to get yourselves to the site is to catch a train to Manchester Piccadilly Station. The park is a 20-minute drive from the city centre and shuttle bus tickets can be purchased with your festival ticket to ensure the journey is as smooth as possible once you arrive in Manchester.
Secret Garden Party – Cambridgeshire
21-24 July 2016
The Secret Garden Party (SGP) is an annual independent arts and music festival held in Abbots Ripon near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. In the grounds of a Georgian farm house, the SGP brings something a little bit different to the music festival scene. It was launched in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream festivals and supports The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) which aims to prevent male suicide in the UK.
The line-up is a little more tailored to the alternative music fans featuring Hot Since 82, The Temper Trap, Swim Deep, and SG Lewis as some of their bigger names. The festival itself is set away from the hustle and bustle of London and its nearest station is Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. From King’s Cross, the journey is still easy though with trains running every 30 minutes. From there, you can jump on The Big Red Bus for just £4.00 each way.
Kendal Calling – Cumbria
28-31 July 2016
Kendal Calling is an independent music festival that has been held annually since 2006 at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria. Since its beginning, the festival has grown from a two-day event with a capacity of 900 to a three-day affair hosting 12,000 people.
This year, they’ve attracted acts like Rudimental, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and 2016’s British Breakthrough Brit Award winners, Catfish and the Bottlemen.
Getting there by train couldn’t be much easier either. Virgin Trains have direct services running to Penrith North Lakes station from Birmingham New Street, London Euston, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Lancaster.
From here, it’s only a short 10-minute taxi journey to the festival site. Alternatively, hop on the festival’s own shuttle bus service!
Leeds Festival – Leeds
26-28 August 2016
Leeds and Reading Festivals are the oldest popular music festivals still in existence after being launched in 1961! Both festivals run simultaneously across the August Bank Holiday with the same line up. Leeds Festival is held in Braham Park, Leeds in the grounds of a historic house. Traditionally recognised as rock festivals, Leeds and Reading have attracted world-famous artists from a range of genres. This year its festival-goers will be listening to the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The 1975, Chvrches, Fetty Wap, and more.
The festival site itself is a 30-minute drive out of Leeds city centre but regular shuttle buses run from the train station making it the best way to get there to avoid the muddy car parks.
If summer music festivals by train sound like your kind of thing, visit the NationalRail.com homepage to grab the best deals on the train tickets to get you there!
